As I watched bits and pieces of the Penguins’ recent 4-0 loss to Carolina from my perch at the Wright’s Gym front desk, a disturbing thought occurred to me. While the young, hungry Hurricanes resembled the black-and-gold squads that blazed to back-to-back Stanley Cups, our punchless Pens looked a lot like GM Jim Rutherford’s old Carolina teams. Ones that routinely missed the playoffs.
Indeed, with our collective game in the crapper at precisely the wrong time (3-6-1 in our last 10 contests and sinking fast), there’s a fair chance our guys’ll be breaking out the golf clubs come April instead of chasing the Stanley Cup.
Hard to imagine a battle-tested team boasting an elite core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel and Kris Letang might wind up on the outside looking in. But there are a number of disturbing trends that’ve continued almost unabated through this roller coaster of a season. I’ll try to address some of them.
Go Play in Traffic
There’s no denying the Pens possess plenty of skill. In addition to the aforementioned stars, second-tier guys like Patric Hornqvist and newcomers Nick Bjugstad and Tanner Pearson have 20-goal seasons on their resume. To say nothing of sharpshooter Jake Guentzel.
But all that skill doesn’t translate very well to the dirty areas. Indeed, the Pens lose puck battles more consistently than any team in recent memory. It’s especially true in our end of the rink. Once opposing teams gain the zone, they often appear to skating with a man advantage. That’s because we seem totally incapable of gaining control of the puck.
A classic example of the chicken or the egg conundrum. If you can’t possess the puck, you can’t play the puck possession game coach Mike Sullivan prefers.
With precious few exceptions, the Pens don’t crash the net the way they should, either. Dirty goals are a staple of today’s NHL…especially come the postseason. Yet our guys seem all-too-content to shoot from wide angles while embracing a perimeter game.
Puck support is lacking, too. Which leads to a lot of one-and-dones.
No Sweat
While it’s absurd to suggest our guys aren’t trying…all of them put forth an effort…there are far too many nights when the Pens’ collective enthusiasm seems to be lacking. All too often we seem to be playing on the wrong side of the puck. Not to mention lagging a step behind the opposition. A worrisome trend that seems to manifest when we play bottom feeders, as our sorry 2-7-1 record against last-place teams will attest.
Yeah, I get the fact that, having played so much high-stakes hockey over the past few seasons, we sometimes need a challenge to get our blood up. But we’ve got to do a better job of bringing it on a nightly basis…especially against run-of-the-mill opponents.
Heck, we make the Devils look like a dynasty-in-the-making every time we play them. All they do is show up, skate like hell and bust their humps.
Is it too much to ask for us to do the same?
Stick on Puck…Yuck
In an ideal world, Sullivan wants his defensemen to move the puck to the forwards at their earliest opportunity. A formula that worked wonders during our back-to-back Cup runs.
Still, you also need guys who’ll stand and defend when the goin’ gets tough. Get-in-your-way types such as Ian Cole, Ron Hainsey and Ben Lovejoy were underrated…and perhaps underappreciated…cogs on our Cup clubs. While Brian Dumoulin and Jack Johnson more or less fill that role with our present club, they could use some help.
My kingdom for a crusher.
Oh wait. We had one in Jamie Oleksiak but traded him away.
You get my drift. Opposing forwards camp out near our net with impunity. No one, save Johnson, shows the slightest interest in moving them out. A bad set-up for our goalies.
Four-Line Roulette
I shamelessly stole this clever subhead from one of our astute commenters, 55 on Point. It’s a wholly apt description of Sullivan’s unsettling habit of shuffling forward lines faster than a card shark parsing a deck of cards on a Mississippi paddlewheel.
I fully understand the need to try different combinations to see what works. However, if a line displays some chemistry, like the Guentzel-Crosby-Bryan Rust combo did earlier this season, could Sully leave them together for more than two periods?
I know he’s trying to find a spark. But a little patience works wonders, too.
A luxury Rutherford might not have if the team continues to slip as the trade deadline looms.
Hi Rick,
I always read your articles with great interest. This will be the first time that I am going to comment one of them!
You made a very good assessment of those disturbing trends! The one that really caught my attention was the Four-Line Roulette. When a coach shuffles his lines, let’s say, in October and November, it’s ok because he needs some time to find the right combinations as well as a system in which the players will be comfortable with. To shuffle the line every now and then during the season is fine too.
Sullivan’s current trend of changing lines whenever he wants may jeopardize the team’s chances to make the playoffs. Not only that but also the team’s dynamic. I am not an expert although I have been watching NHL hockey games for almost 40 years (it started at a very young age!). But I think I have enough experience and common sense to see that the communication aspect has definitely gone wrong this year.
It seems that the coach’s message is not getting through with some players. It looks as if they don’t believe in this system anymore. In order to rally a team, the coach must be an excellent communicator, especially in the current NHL. Apparently, it is not Sully’s strongest suit. During the back to back Stanley Cup run, he was helped by Rick Tocchet. Phil Kessel can say one thing or two about Tocchet!
He (Tocchet) had the ability to quickly size up people. He was the link between the players and Sullivan. Tocchet communicated well and seemed to be really appreciated by the players. He was compensating for Sully’s flaw and was also able to get his ideas across. Even if Mark Recchi seems to be a nice person, I don’t think he has the same influence on Sullivan.
Moreover, Sully has the annoying habit of yelling at his players. I saw him doing that when the Pens were playing against Ottawa in November 2018. Some players looked dejected and Malkin completely ignored him! Sully the Yeller would have been a perfect fit for good ol’ time hockey. In the current NHL, the coach is not the boss anymore! He must adapt to his players and try to get the best of them. My impression is that Sullivan sees himself as a boss who expects his players to execute his orders.
Today, it is more like a partnership between players and coaches. This new generation of players asks questions. A coach with good communication skills must be able to answer their questions.
To conclude this long reply (sorry!), GMJR must perform a thorough evaluation of his coaching staff. It is no longer a luxury! Players have their share of responsibility but the coaching staff really needs to do some soul-searching. Accountability is for everyone!
Hello Jorenz,
I’m glad to hear you’re a faithful PenguinPoop reader. And your comments are very well written and extremely insightful. You’ve, indeed, learned a lot in your 40+ years of watching hockey…:)
I don’t think there’s any question Rick Tocchet was a key component in the coaching dynamic. As you mentioned, he connected well with the players. I also think he helped get Sullivan’s message across in a way that didn’t ruffle feathers, while at the same time serving as a buffer between the team and head coach.
Strange as it seems, I also think it helped to have some “big” personalities in the dressing room…guys like Ian Cole, Ben Lovejoy and Ryan Reaves. It gave the team “other” voices to listen to.
Well, most of those guys have been moved out…purposely I think…so Sullivan’s voice is the only one they hear. And there are signs that he’s wearing on the players and that they’re, indeed, tuning him out. The sloppiness, the lack of effort and focus are all signs of burnout.
I don’t lay our problems entirely at his feet. Ultimately, the players need to be ready to play, and on that count they’ve failed miserably. There are far too many nights when our guys look like they’re going through the motions. They need to look themselves in the mirror…and hopefully wake up soon!
Rick
PS–Your comments and thoughts inspired me to write my newest PenguinPoop article…”Is Mike Sullivan Losing the Team?”
Hi Rick,
So many areas of concern and just now people are starting to get concerned about the playoffs. We have said this so many times, I am tired of complaining about it. WE ARE NOT A TOP CUP CONTENDING TEAM . Period !!
I do not want to hear about how great Kessel,Geno,Letang and Murray are. That was in the past and this is now. 2019! They all are shadows of their former selves and this is to be expected. Age catches up with all of us. The team is in decline in all areas including Coaching.
Crosby is Crosby.But he can not do it all himself.
We will be lucky to finish 7 or 8 th and we will draw an opponent with far more talent than us. Results are, bring out the Golf Clubs. That is if we are lucky. Could be we do not make it at all.
We our aging, under performing as a team and with a very weak talent pool in the minors as compared with many other teams. Jimmy has little to work with to make any serious trades. I think it is time to make a major trade with one or more of the “core” to get some young talent and high draft picks.
No one will agree with me as we all think that we must win now but the reality is other teams have been successful in rebuilding their teams in a 2- 3 year time period to return to prominence. The ones who did take major risks and were not afraid to trade the stars away for a brighter future became successful again. Do we have the guts to do this ?
I think Rick that is where we are right now my friend. We need wingers, defense,centers and goalies…Coaches too.
Your thoughts??
Jim
Hi Jim,
About trading a core player, your idea is not that bad. The way things are going for Malkin this year, a change of scenery would be beneficial. I think it would allow him to truly express his talent. I know he really loves Pittsburgh and has a very good relationship with Crosby. However, there are two major issues: his NMC clause and the lack of assets for a successful trade. I am also thinking about Letang but his monstrous contract and his injury history could be a huge burden for potential teams. As for Kessel, it depends on what the other teams are ready to offer.
I totally agree with you when you say that the talent pool in the minors becomes weaker. The WBS Penguins are ranked 21st out of 31 teams and a few players were recalled by Pittsburgh. They have been struggling as well and it is going to be hard to make the playoffs this year. Blueger is their best scorer and is ranked 24th in the league. Ethan Prow is 36th and Adam Johnson is 77th.
If I take a look at the Pens draft history from 2014 to 2018, only three players are currently playing in the NHL: Sprong (traded to Anaheim), Simon and Kapanen (traded to Toronto). Simon is the only one who plays for the Pens. All the rest of the players play in the AHL, ECHL, KHL, European teams, NCAA, USHL, junior teams across the world or are no longer playing hockey. The Pens haven’t drafted a 1st round player since 2014.
As you rightfully pointed out, the Pens must refurbish their talent pool.
Hello Jim,
Always so good to hear from you.
You pretty much cut right through to the bone on a lot of issues. As you so rightly noted, we’re an aging former champion…with all of the symptoms that go with it. An aging core, a lack of top-end prospects, a seeming lack of hunger and motivation, and a coach whose message seems to be falling on deaf ears.
In many ways, we’ve mimicked the path Craig Patrick took us down the mid-1990s. Perfectly understandable, given the similar Hall of Fame talent on hand. However, after keeping the team mostly intact through two fair-to-middling seasons, he pulled off a pair of blockbusters in 1995 in precisely the manner you suggest…swapping out Shawn McEachern, Luc Robitaille, Kevin Stevens and Ulf Samuelsson in a pair of deals for Glen Murray, Petr Nedved, Brian Smolinski and Sergei Zubov.
Rejuvenated, the Pens nearly made it back to the Cup Final that season. However, it wasn’t until the bottom fell out in the early 2000s that Patrick finally began to rebuild through the draft, assembling the core that eventually propelled us to our three recent Cups.
Everything runs in cycles…
Rick
Fully agree Rick.
Everything in cycles.
I do not expect any major shakeup now but
maybe in the off season. Great to hear from
You as well.
God Bless…
Jim
Hey Rick,
Great stuff! You are far kinder than I am at this point but you get the point across.
As I wrote elsewhere, I am not as angry over the team losing to last place teams as I am over Sullivan’s lack of any real plan to remediate the situation. As you put it the four line roulette is disgusting me. Rather than change fore-checks or breakouts he just switches line combos.
Hey Rick,
Interesting. I’ve also noticed that the team has been having trouble with their breakout. Hopefully Shultz will remedy that.
My praise for Letang earlier is now dwindling since I have noticed what his latest problem is. He leads the team in shots on net. It doesn’t seem like it would be a problem but every time he shoots, he is taking a low percentage shot and basically giving the puck away. I noticed it a few games ago.
His selfish effort to get the Norris trophy is actually hurting the team. Watch for it. It is actually leading to more scoring chances for the other team.